There have been 584,725 deaths altogether from COVID-19, with an average of 22,386 of those occurring in each of the past two months. I've been having trouble getting my embedded music player to work on my blog and the folks at Reunion Records won't allow the music video to be embedded. Who encourages a focus on surface appearance and style at the cost of the self-esteem of millions who never feel good enough, well-dressed (and well-shod) enough, hot enough? Here in America. It's no longer uncommon to know lots of people who have contracted the virus and even know a few that have been hospitalized. On purpose, I didn't say much about these trips. We are too lazy to vote them out, so lets just make a law that says we aren't allowed to vote for them anymore). Further their dismissal of masks as ineffective is always based on exactly the opposite reason for mask wearing from the reason provided by mainstream science. I get it. The diseases eradicated, the medical advancements we've achieved, and even the increase in our very lifespan bear out the rigor of this approach. Many people don't understand that is exactly how science should work.) The view at the end of April, 2021 and two weeks later. It's a sad day when the church of Jesus has given over the role of total acceptance to the church of Satan. As of today there have been 27,704,082 total cases of COVID-19 in the United States. I might say "I'm doing okay" or "Hanging in there" or "Taking it one day at time" when I'm not actually that fine. That's because I've stayed informed, I've tried to make safe choices based on the best information we've had at the time. Lots of Women's & Men's Lovingly Used Clothing Items. home for a visit. The title of this blog comes from the song by the same name by my favorite singer-songwriter, Rich Mullins. And most of all "I'm fine" should never be our response to God (which I think is the point of that Matthew West song I referenced at the beginning of this post. The Journal: Online since 2006; A life in words and pictures since 1985, Almost exactly six years ago I posted this blog entry about the practice of asking people "How are you? As of today, May 15 there have been 32,921,793 total cases of COVID-19 in the United States. Although it’s Easter break for the Sometimes the whole truth is too much to handle for an untrained person with emotional ties to you. I've always known that I'm the kind of person cut out for working from home. And on Monday, just over a year after I left, I will return to the classroom. It's all marketing to them). I believe it is safe and effective. This may have been a function of that slight uptick in the later half of March and April, and it's possible they may be back on a downward trajectory now. One thing that I fear may hasten us down to the road to the place of armed conflict is the unfortunate decisions of some of our social media and tech companies. Yet, suddenly now masks are this dangerous thing? I trust the science. But I'm happy for the kids, and they're happy (well most of them, there's a few not enthused about having to get up early). But still on balance, we felt we'd reduced risk enough that we felt we had a good chance of dodging the virus for both ourselves and our families. Politicians: In the pocket of big business. The truth is that the truth can be discomfiting to hear. It's not a happy story, and that is by design as the neglect of those who do not fit our societies definition of "normal" and the neglect of our planet are not happy stories. There are have been some dark chapters for sure, but percentage wise this approach is safer than the alternative: trusting in anecdotal evidence ("well, it worked for me! students... After (what) 8 years of moving from Saipan to Portland, OR, Noah is coming Here In America, compiled by Kittie M. Woolliscroft, is the perfect coffee-table book. Anyone who's ever been the victim of oversharing can attest that sometimes hearing the unvarnished truth can leave you feeling unsure what to say and resentful that this person has "unloaded" on you. It's worth the watch and has given me a new appreciation for the song that up till now grated on me a little bit). I won't dwell on his Satan-themed video or the "Satan shoes" drop. The less oversight, the less cooperation with peers in the field, the easier it is for bad science to slip by. Another 3,201,283 new cases were added since March 19, an average of 1,600,642 new cases for each of the past two months. Happy New Year! on Amazon Music Unlimited (ad) "Here In America". The benefits appear to outweigh the risks. Here's hoping for a fourth month of failure in a row. I honestly believe that if he hadn't been rattling on about voter fraud these past two months Loeffler and Purdue would have won in Georgia. We drove to Memphis, we rocked a set. What I'm saying is that there is no real organized Resistance that has been able to pull in widespread support from the mainstream. I realize that it's uncommon to take a stand that differs from the "party line." It's heartening to see a significant decline in the number of new cases added this month. Here in America, we have an entire sector (note that I said sector, not the entire system) of the education system that insists upon teaching this to our children, as though it is a good thing. This may have been a function of that slight uptick in the later half of March and April, and it's possible they may be back on a downward trajectory now. I saw no friends, went to no stores or restaurants. Let most Americans see him for what he is. When I say that, I don't mean I trust a particular scientist or anyone with white coat and a some letters after their name. Pacific and click away at buttons that would eventually create Bubbles in I would sit in my apartment on a tiny rock in the There's no way that there won't be someone who has some kind of adverse reaction to a substance so widely distributed. As we all converge unmasked back into public spaces (we'll be heading back to church in the next month; I hope to take my former 8th grade students from the class of 2017 out for our traditional high school graduation dinner; and I'm looking at booking tickets to a Needtobreathe/Switchfoot concert in September), I'm not sure what that will mean for the trajectory of the virus. And that is a fatal omission especially if you are calling for the most radical of change. How much of Lil Nas X latest creative impulse came from the failure of Christians to reflect the character of Christ? Obviously I'm hoping for the best case scenario, and rather selfishly, I can live with the second scenario as well. The EUA exists so that the FDA isn't sitting on a medicine that they feel reasonably certain is safe and effective, waiting for years for the laborious approval process to be completed while millions lose their lives. So, if you'd like to hear the song that inspired my new blog title and theme, Here in America, click here to see it on YouTube. That's a question that's been asked a lot recently, some asking with eager anticipation, others with a sense of dread (the second attitude is the right one, by the way). But the truth is a simple Google search will find a host of information both for and against the vaccine (and vaccines in general). Which leads to the second missing piece of this book. It's time to unmask and I could not be happier! So why do we say we're fine, when we're not? I like to vary my response to communicate more truthfully to someone who is showing care and courtesy by asking how I am, but who has neither the time and/or the relationship with me to "go deep" on the spot. But if you're going to make that case and convince me, then you've got to tell me A) what exactly, in specific detail, is going to happen and B) what exactly must be done by society as a whole in order to stop it. Who would you rather trust? And most of all "I'm fine" should never be our response to God (which I think is the point of that Matthew West song I referenced at the beginning of this post. The harder part is explaining why I didn't. The problem isn't ultimately with the politicians. Here in America is a CD compilation of early songwriting demos and rare live recordings of concert performances given by American singer-songwriter Rich Mullins as he toured across America in 1987 with song collaborator Steve Cudworth (vocals/guitar) and Kyle Stevens (drums/vocals). That said, I've always been a bit annoyed by the anti-mask crowd. Note that Satan's shoes contain a "drop of human blood" and then compare that with Jesus who does not call on us to sacrifice our blood, but instead gave His own blood on our behalf. I think of the video of the woman tearfully complaining that she'd been maced as soon as she crossed the threshold of the Capitol. " Let the FBI drop some informants in there and keep an eye on the chatter, and if something doesn't feel right, deal with it. My bedrock policy for the most part is avoiding the big crowds in enclosed spaces for long periods of time that are the hallmarks of high risk in this pandemic. Some of us have become so desperate to be rid of politicians and their politics that we've found ourselves willing to go along with anyone from outside the system regardless of whether the evidence indicates he's fit for the job. . How exactly does it work that some low-level "deep state" operatives somehow have that kind of clout with Silicon Valley? I expect to see the number of deaths continue to drop as well as the cases continue to decline. "), one-off studies hawked by those with an agenda or predetermined set of beliefs they are bound to validate. Or is it also---and maybe primarily--about cruelty, selfishness, materialism, mockery, a celebration of mortal success, fleeting beauty, and talent, and scorn for the losers, the ugly and the ordinary? As we all converge unmasked back into public spaces (we'll be heading back to church in the next month; I hope to take my former 8th grade students from the class of 2017 out for our traditional high school graduation dinner; and I'm looking at booking tickets to a Needtobreathe/Switchfoot concert in September), I'm not sure what that will mean for the trajectory of the virus. They rankled at being required to wear them in the first place. The biggest reason I didn't make the trip to Texas to attend my friend Chandra's funeral was because of this quarantine. So, if you'd like to hear the song that inspired my new blog title and theme, Here in America, click here to see it on YouTube. I felt a kind of responsibility not to encourage irresponsible behavior in others. I worry about those holding on to their faith by their fingernails. I understand that there are risks to continuing to allow Trump to have a platform, but I think that the risks are even greater if we take away that platform. I hate wearing them. I expect to see the number of deaths continue to drop as well as the cases continue to decline. It is not big and overpowering in size so it doesn't unbalance a room; it is more magazine size and manageable. Best case, there are enough vaccinated people out there that cases and deaths continue to decline. The language in the book is severe enough that it seems to imply the latter, though it is never said outright. Don’t throw your handIf you feel like you’re alone,no, no, no, you are not alone, If you’re on your own in this life,the days and nights are long,When you think you’ve hadtoo much of this life to hang on, Well, everybody hurts sometimes,Everybody cries.And everybody hurts sometimesAnd everybody hurts sometimes.So, hold on, hold onHold on, hold on, hold on,hold on, hold on, hold onEverybody hurts.You are not alone. Meanwhile our benchmark states in the Midwest all seemed to have peaked already. This month's numbers represent a 7% increase in the number of new cases from February to March, and about 3 million fewer than I predicted. The man they were ostensibly fighting for made no move to support his supporters), no list of demands, no real plan. They do not intend to sugarcoat these facts to make the reader feel good. You don't have politicians in Communist dictatorships. . The horrifying steady climb in deaths over the months this country is truly sobering. It has figured out how to get us to keep choosing them, by using our own deepest fears, inchoate anger, and entrenched selfishness against us. But overall, I'm glad to be going back. I'll appreciate that and take mental note of it. Moving On. I find the assumption here is that the people getting the vaccine are just going along with whatever the man on the Tee-vee said to do. You don't need to inquire as to what exactly is going on. Deaths are down as well in all of my benchmark states. Too many are willing to "lovingly" condemn rather than risk being wrong. Are we talking about an increase in an extreme weather events, rising sea levels that consume our coastal areas, and shift the colder climates further north (and south). Dion Lyrics. It's worth noting the extent to which the toll of this disease has become normalized. The greatest disappointment of this pandemic has been that so many have had this childish insistence on refusing to acknowledge the seriousness of COVID-19 or to do anything that might mitigate it. One of the tricks of this pandemic has been assessing risk. But that day is coming. Among them there more current and former students and their families. Florida just cleared the bar, and the other states have registered increases significantly below 10%. Life as an out fraternity brother at Alabama, with Austin Gaddis by Out Here in America published on 2018-08-27T19:20:52Z. That's the kind of person I try to be as well. They don't articulate exactly why the speed with which the vaccine was released is a problem--just that it's "too fast." Blog Archive 2021 (7) April (2) March (1) February (1) January (3) … If I feel ready to share and believe you are the person to share with, I will reach out. Here in America. In this world, money still rules and the powerful still abuse the weak, but doors to power are now based on fealty to the Party, to the Person, to the Ideology. I admit I haven't been bold enough to walk into Kroger without my mask--not because I don't trust that I'm safe, but because I just didn't want to "stand out." This is a 4% monthly increase. Everyone does hurt after all, and that does need to be acknowledged. This will no longer be my work view come Monday morning. What does it mean to be "worldly?" I have other friends who are perhaps a bit too "real", sharing TMI, shall we say. Rather than rejoice at the end of politics, we should fear what comes after politics. And even though these companies can do this, it doesn't mean they should. We worship at the altar of business, unaware that unchecked power is as dangerous in the private sector as in the public. Am I little nervous? Best case, there are enough vaccinated people out there that cases and deaths continue to decline. So yes, politics is messy, but it's a mess of our own making. If you skipped the link I recommend going back and clicking on it. We are tired of "politics as usual." I believe Twitter, Apple, and others were within their rights to place the limits they did. Yes, I know - it's been some time since my last posting, but we have have been making some big decisions, and still now, the details have not been finalised. I don't mean that I trust Fauci. Neither of these approaches really bother me too much but I know there are others that are bit put off by them. home for a visit. Once there we continued to go nowhere and see no one other than our family. Lil Nas X, the pop sensation who rocketed to global fame with his ubiquitous hit "Old Town Road" a few years ago has grabbed the spotlight once again this past week, this time with a new song and video and associated shoe tie-in that has scandalized grown-ups across the country. I love this place. cornell-university-vaccination Cornell University in New York is now mandating COVID-19 vaccines for employees and students returning to Ithaca, Geneva, and Tech campuses for the Fall semester. If we have means to address it now, and the possibility of serious side effects is unlikely (though not impossible), then the certain benefit out weighs the possible risk. These platforms are not the "public square" even though we've come feel they are and that we are somehow entitled to them. My answer is, pretty darn safe. Maybe. And we don't need that. This is an 18% increase in the number of new cases from January to February, and about 5.6 million fewer than I predicted. Second, the truth is that not everybody is ready to handle my "truth." Well, that's how revolution goes, my friend. Not cohabitating before you're married is simply "old-fashioned." When you don't have a strong case of your own, you can always resort to personal insults and sneering. My 8th grade students will return to in-person learning for last two months or so of their school year. This is a 4% monthly increase. I missed a month! Mainly because I feel that we're being played. Why should we care how they feel? I find it especially puzzling since at least some of these people work in medical fields where they've worn masks for years. Yet, I understand that our commitment to always saying we're "fine", always putting on a smiling face is problematic and contributes to loneliness and isolation in the suffering that is frankly the lot of every single one of us in life. These clowns got into the Capitol and didn't know what to do with themselves. We talked about going to the beach but ended opting against that as well. Reading those early entries now, I seem so naïve. I've been having trouble getting my embedded music player to work on my blog and the folks at Reunion Records won't allow the music video to be embedded. There were not fewer deaths in all states as I had hoped. This is 32,086 fewer deaths than from COVID than we had February to March, effectively cutting our death rate in half! I trust this methodology because it has proven to be successful more often than not over the past several hundred years. Sitting in a local coffee shop this morning, I was plowing through a stack The truth can be awkward. Especially, here in the United States, we are entirely too trusting of the private sector. I missed a month! It's not a matter of "being informed." There is no agree to disagree. I find it especially puzzling since at least some of these people work in medical fields where they've worn masks for years. Let the man talk! They live large on the public dime making a career of so-called "public service." There is no legal opposition. If Trump had declared he wasn't leaving office and called on the military to support him, and Biden called on the military to remove Trump, and the military and law enforcement split, with some loyal to Trump and others siding with Biden, well then we'd have a civil war on our hands. "I'm home anywhere, if You are where I am. Guitar, Vocals [Vocal] – … But the numbers were so much lower. I don't believe it's practical to eliminate all risk. Here In America (Songwriting Demo) 3:01: CD2: Teaching Awesome God (Live) 2:31: CD3: Verge Of A Miracle (Live) 4:36: CD4: Be With You (Live) 5:21: CD5: O Come All Ye Faithful (Songwriting Demo) 4:33: CD6: What Trouble Are Giants (Live) 3:04: CD7: Praise Ye The Lord (Live) 4:15: CD8: Hello Old Friends (Live) 2:31: CD9: It Don't Do (Live) Guitar, Vocals [Vocal] – Steve Cudworth. I like to vary my response to communicate more truthfully to someone who is showing care and courtesy by asking how I am, but who has neither the time and/or the relationship with me to "go deep" on the spot. Yet, suddenly now masks are this dangerous thing? It's heartening to see another significant decrease in the number of new cases added this month. I hate masks. We need to approach these issues with calm confidence rooted in our certainty of Jesus. There's been a rash of songs on Christian radio singing the praises of telling the truth--of not saying you're fine when you're not. The process of regular FDA approval is extremely stringent, and that's a good thing. My predictions fell the same way they did last month. I mask up when at stores and other situations where I'll be around others briefly. Let us be dissatisfied until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort from the inner city of poverty and despair shall be crushed by the battering rams of the fires of justice. Music video by Rich Mullins performing Here In America. (The same company that released the Satan Shoes released limited edition pairs of "Jesus Shoes" last year. If today has shown us anything, it's that the toxic sludge we've been contributing to will ironically bring about the destruction of the very system it's been intended to propagate. There have been 584,725 deaths altogether from COVID-19, with an average of 22,386 of those occurring in each of the past two months. You gain nothing but bad feelings about your neighbors and Facebook friends, and are unwittingly doing the bidding of those who would manipulate and use you for their own gain. Normalizing "not fine" is on balance, a good thing I think. That's what I'm going to try to tackle today. You might say we take His name in vain. There have 389,944 deaths altogether from COVID-19, with 89,893 of those occurring in the past month. If "I'm fine" is the standard answer to every single person in your life, that might be a problem. They make a statement. Without any kind of unified guidance each of us have been left to make our own decision based on our own research, gut instincts, need, and comfort level with risk. This story says that in 722 B.C. That doesn't even make sense when at least until January 20, the levers of governmental might are still controlled by the Trump administration. As for Parler, I understand that there are concerns about site becoming a clearinghouse for planning further violent insurrections, but I don't know that was Apple's call to make. But sometimes the issues we are dealing with cannot be appropriately and effectively addressed by friends and loved ones. We often long for some one who is not a "career politician" who will save our country; someone from outside the system who can gut the system and remake it. March (1) Corona Chronicles: Pandemic-aversary February (1) The Corona Chronicles: Why I … There's no point in pretending with God, and He can do a lot more with our honest, true selves no matter how ugly than the same perfect picture we present to everyone else. As of today there have been 23,437,428 total cases of COVID-19 in the United States. I don't get it. followed them down the hallway. Their whole argument has been based on a whole lot of bad science, YouTube-hawked by rogue doctors and crank scientists and supported by dubious anecdotal evidence. I saw the pushback one friend of mine who is a Trump supporter received when she dared to criticize the riot at the Capitol in straightforward and simple terms without the usual blame-casting absurdity, excuse-making, and whataboutisms common among her compatriots. I am absolutely all about normalizing seeking support for one's mental health. I'm very enthused about the CDC's recent guidance change that allows vaccinated people such as myself to go without masks. So it has been in other places and other times throughout history. As a result all the numbers presented today will be a two month average rather than actual values. The possible way down the line side affects are unknown that's true, but COVID is a known problem. It's time to unmask and I could not be happier! Both visits were wonderful and now with more than two weeks out from our Florida visit and all parties still healthy, it looks like the gamble paid off. Jerusalem was conquered by the Assyrians. Rather than worrying frantically over who might be wearing Satan's shoes and singing his songs, why don't we focus instead on seeking by God's grace to walk ourselves in the battered, worn, shoes of Jesus and to sing of His love. Medical and scientific is not without spot or wrinkle. California has been in the news for it's overstretched hospitals and friends on the ground at the California frontlines confirm this. They always acted as if people wore masks to avoid contracting the virus and then would triumphally report how this and that study showed that masks provide little protection to the wearer. What passes for Christianity today is largely a mess. Yet, I understand that our commitment to always saying we're "fine", always putting on a smiling face is problematic and contributes to loneliness and isolation in the suffering that is frankly the lot of every single one of us in life. The whole mask thing is just gross to me. This is not the time for false niceties to make you feel like a good person. I don't think so, even though I'm sure there are those who will disagree (and others who will scoff that of course we weren't wrong! I feel very strongly that it was a mistake to ban Trump from Twitter permanently. I expect to see the number of deaths continue to drop as well as the cases continue to decline. The Thunberg/Ernman family is adamant that offering "hope" is foolish at this juncture. For both visits we went into a strict quarantine for the two weeks before each trip. This month's numbers represent an average of a 5% increase in the number of new cases over the past two months, and about 680,000 fewer than I predicted. They always acted as if people wore masks to avoid contracting the virus and then would triumphally report how this and that study showed that masks provide little protection to the wearer. My mom and brother who live close by and had also quarantined were the only other people we saw. Every time I tried to stand and start to fall, And all those lonely roads that I have travelled on, When the life I built came crashing to the ground, When the friends I had were nowhere to be found, I couldn't see it then but I can see it now, Like a blessing buried in the broken pieces, Even when I didn't know it or couldn't see it, For this man who needs amazing kind of grace (Mmm), For forgiveness at a price I couldn't pay (Mmm), On the mountain, in the valleys (There was Jesus), In the shadows of the alleys (There was Jesus), In the fire, in the flood (There was Jesus), Every minute (Every minute), every moment (Every moment). There have 485,482 deaths altogether from COVID-19, with 95,538 of those occurring in the past month. Our planning was not without flaws. But, while masks might provide some protection to the wearer, the main reason we've worn masks for more than a year is to protect others, not ourselves. The air travel thing hit hard. For those not already under his spell, I find Trump's shoot from the hip style more often than not leads to shooting himself in the foot. But if we get a worst case scenario and we have to return to pandemic life, I will be peeved to say the least. We have become entitled, spoiled by hundreds years of cultural dominance so that we've come to view our place of preeminence as our due and any diminishment of that privilege as tantamount to "persecution." Yet how do we get it right? Some New Baby Clothing Items. The people I really appreciate are those give me just enough window into their imperfect lives, their struggles, and their sorrows to reassure me that I'm not alone. Although it’s Easter break for the In the land beyond politics, there is no debate over ideas. Second, the truth is that not everybody is ready to handle my "truth." Instead of reflexively condemning out of fear, what about encouraging the consideration of questions like these: Who do you think would have your back no matter what--the one whose credo is "Do what thou wilt" or the One who said "There is no greater love than to lay down ones life for one's friends" ? Why not just be honest and let people know the truth. Look, you give millions of people a banana to eat and somebody is going to drop dead. Not everybody deserves to hear it. That said, I've always been a bit annoyed by the anti-mask crowd. I've cleared my weekend in case I have some of the side affects many have reported, the fever and aches that sometimes come with the second dose (the first dose all I had was a sore arm for about a day after). I love to travel and I love to fly--it's one of the things I miss most since the pandemic arrived.